"Claude McKay Describes His Own Life."

by
Ogden

The author of these poems is a native of Jamaica, where he was born in 1889, and where
he lived till 1911, publishing a book of dialect verse already referred to in our
columns.
After reaching the United States he worked his way through Kansas to the West in
various
capacities, and gained experience which has not been without effect on the subject
matter of his
poetry. For a while he stayed at the Kansas Agricultural College, where the opportunity
presented itself of studying 'literary English.' The fact that this is for Mr.
McKay partly an
acquired language adds considerably to the interest of his work. Here can be found
some of those
peculiar qualities which rendered the visit of the Southern Syncopated Orchestra
so memorable
last autumn, and for which we are becoming accustomed to look as the distinctive
contribution
of African Art in general.